Apps are developed for a wide variety of purposes. There are different types of Apps. For example, native Apps are downloaded, installed and run on devices. A native App is written for a specific kind of device or platform. Native Apps take advantage of the various functions available on a device. On the other hand, Web Apps reside on a server. A device accesses a Web App through its browser. By being browser-based, any device with a browser can access Web Apps. In other words, Web Apps are not platform or device type-specific. However, Web Apps cannot cross the boundaries of web browsers, thus restricting access to some system-specific resources.
A hybrid App is another type of App. Hybrid Apps combine elements of both native and Web Apps. Hybrid apps provide benefits of both native and Web Apps. For instance, hybrid Apps can be accessed through a browser while having access to various functions and features of a local device. For example, a hybrid App combines native code with a web browser component encapsulated in the application. The assets of the Web App can be included or encapsulated in the application as well. The web container exposes native functionality that would normally not be accessible via regular web browsers.
Building a hybrid App conventionally employs the use of a command line interface. For example, a developer enters build scripts into the command line interface to generate the build of the App. The use of command line interfaces is not user friendly. As such, the process of generating an App build is time consuming and error-prone.
From the foregoing discussion, it is desirable to provide an efficient build for Apps.